Id Kah Mosque

The Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China. It is situated at the west of Id Kah Square in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. The mosque has a capacity of 20,000 prayers at one time. There are over 10,000 Muslim prayers coming to take part in the Friday Prayer every week.

At some important Muslim festivals such as Ramadan and Kurban, there are more than 100,000 prayers to pray and celebrate in the Id Kah Mosque. During the praying time, Muslims kneel and pray in the Id Kah Mosque, the square, Jiefang Road and streets. Then all the prayers get together on the Id Kah Square to dance and celebrate the festival with enthusiasm.

Id Kah Mosque means a place for praying and celebration of festivals in the Uyghur language. It is famous for its long history and Muslim culture. Id Kah Mosque is not only an important place for religious activities in Xijiang, but also a key education site for Muslim culture in ancient times. A lot of Muslim Imams and Islamic scholars in Xinjiang and Central Asia had graduated from Id Kah Mosque.

Occupying an area of 16,800 square meters, Id Kah Mosque is as long as 140 meters from north to south and as wide as 120 meters from east to west. The grand Id Kah Mosque was original built in 1442 with a small size mosque. After several renovations and enlargements, it is the scale that travelers can see today. Constructed with numerous yellow bricks, it is a prominent yellow building on the square.

The Gate in front of the Id Kah Mosque is 12.6 meters high and the towers at the both sides are nearly 18 meters high. The Prayer Hall is a high dais situated at the west corner of the Id Kah Mosque. The roof with light blue pillars is a magnificent scene. At the both sides of the mosque, the towers are decorated by beautiful flower patterns and carvings. As an ancient site of the Ming Dynasty, it has been listed into Chinese national cultural heritages since 2001.

Travel in Kashgar
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Tips:
1. Women travelers can’t get into the Id Kah Mosque without permission and need to cover your heads with scarves.
2. Visitors need to take off your shoes when you visit mosques.
3. If you want to take photos, you need to ask the Imam for permission and you can’t photography at the front or side of the prayers.
4. The roofs of shopping malls at the right side of the Id Kah Square are the best place to take photos of Id Kah Mosque. But you have to arrive before 7:00 in the morning.